Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Wisconsin is one of those crazy weather states. Yesterday I was outside washing our cars. We broke a few records for the warmest day in February. I loved it!
Today it is blowing snow and sleet and the wind chill is about 10 degrees. Oh my.

The best part about cold days is staying inside and being creative. Don't you agree!

While I am posting, I want to share some new color ways for my 1930's Tomato Pincushion. You can find them in my Etsy Shop, Fiberluscious.

I found some yummy new fabrics at Two Bees Fabric and also at own of my favorite West Bend, WI quilt shops, Royce Quilting. We moved about 50 miles from it, and each time I am in the area, I just have to stop in and pick up some of their 1930's fabrics. They have such a great selection.

I thought I would take a few minutes to give you some tips on how to keep your handmade sewing supplies looking bright and fresh. If you are like me, I have many pincushions around the house and many in my studio. Each has it's own function. Some sit for a while and accumulate dust. Shame on me. I know better. So, let me share a few of my cleaning and care tips with you.

You can download this sheet here and keep it on hand. Just click here.

I think my tips may be applied to just about any handmade item. If you have an item from another maker, I encourage you to contact them for any special instructions.

As long as we are talking fabrics, I am curious as to whether you pre-wash your fabrics before you start sewing. I do. Because I make pincushions, I want the fabric to be soft, so your pins and needles just glide in like a hot knife thru butter. I bought a lovely patchwork pincushion and there are times I think I need a hammer to drive the embroidery needles in.

If you do patchwork and you like the finish new fabrics have, I suggest that you pre-wash them to avoid any shrinkage, especially when making quilts or other washable items. To make patchwork easy, use starch or a starch substitute such as Mary Ellen's Best Press. I've used a few others as well as using starch and I find they gum up my iron badly. As with any fabric finishes, test them first on your fabric and keep an eye on your iron. If it looks dirty, take time to clean it.

I often use a textured cotton fabric to clean my iron often. I just set it for steam and rub the iron back and forth until any dirt is removed. There is nothing worse than getting an iron stain on a finished project.

Here is a sweet tomoto using the old gathered tube technique. Its easy and fun and I love how squishy it is. You can find it in my Etsy Shop, Fiberluscious. Enjoy and I hope you are creating some treasures too!

Ms Fiberluscious

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A bit about me...

I've been sewing for over 40 years, yet, there is something new to learn every day. There are so many ideas yet to be designed. There are so many fabrics yet to cut. So many stitches to stitch. I just need more time in my day! I taking a simple sewing tool, like a pincushion and elevating it to something amazing. I add embroidery, free motion, hand dying, felting, what ever it takes to make it a one-of-a-kind, work of art. I hope that my joy is evident in my work. Each piece comes with a bit of my heart. If you come to my shop, I want you to feel spoiled and thrilled so you come back again and again.